Descendant of A Hero
by Kerota
Summary: As a young man goes to live out his family's legacy, an even younger girl has her pleas of easing her unending Hell answered, even if she doesn't see it as such. Slight Gladiator AU, rated T for now, but will change to M. All in due time people. OC is definitely gonna be stronger than Saito.
1. A Fortunate Summon

H-hello! *Nervous Chuckle* WOW! Has it really been about 10 months since I've posted anything? H-HEY! It's not my fault I got distracted... For anyone who doesn't know me, it wouldn't surprise me, since I've only made one Fanfic and it was on a video game, and not an Anime/Movie crossover. Well, I won't keep you waiting much later from the story, so without any further stalling, I present the (embarrassingly small) first chapter of: Descendant of A Hero! *cough* Yeah I'm not good at making names...

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Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, a student attending the esteemed "Tristain Academy of Magic" was somewhat nervous. Scratch that, she's such a nervous wreck that the slightest movement was instantaneous and her mind was moving several miles a minute, which didn't help her get much needed sleep for the big day that would determine the rest of her life. 'Not like anything could make it any worse...' She thought gloomily to herself, 'unless I don't summon **anything** tomorrow...' And with that, she shuddered thinking of ways to escape her mother's wrath. "I'll figure it all out tomorrow… Hopefully, the Founder will have mercy on this loyal servant's unfortunate situation." WIthout another word, the petite girl collapsed onto her bed, and drifted into unconsciousness. Little did she know, that her wish would be granted, and it would be no ordinary plebian. While the night passed peacefully, it wasn't so in another plane of existence...

A young man was leaning off of a stone wall while checking his armor and gauntlets. It seemed to him that this was the millionth time he checked his gear as he waited for his time in the field of glory. 'Umbrius Afer Volumnius', the name of the young and upcoming Gladiator, had the unfortunate luck to be thrown into a wager match his first round in the small Colosseum-esque arena. Right after he marked his name on the competitor's list, the names were drawn into a raffle, and it was a one v. three with the catch of the one having no armaments. The odds were insane. Whatever was bet on the one without weapons would practically own half of Rome after the fight. The other men were armed to the teeth, so these odds were extremely low risk for those running the bets, and it was a quick, cheap way to earn some easy coin. Unfortunately for them, they didn't know that "Umbrius" was a prodigy in any form of combat.

It was going well for him. A few scrapes and scratches from close calls from dodging around his foes. Much to the delight of the people in the crowd, the young man was making a show of the current deadly situation. Taunting his enemies when they began to exhaust, making rude gestures and comments about their respective mothers and where the fighters liked to shove certain objects only helped fuel the crowd's amusement and the beter's ire. How could one man, one _**boy**_ cause this much trouble for them? The men who would owe an insanely **large** amount of coins to some people ballsy to bet against the odds grew more and more visibly nervous as the boy took out one man, then another, and was circling around with the last one. The boy was being cautious not to get too close with his opponent still armed with a bident and was sporting several new wounds for his attempts at disarming the older man. He was formulating a plan when the man across from him spoke.

" _Deditionem puero nihil prosperum habebitis."_ He was wanting him to surrender, but that would not stand! His ancestors would torment him endlessly when he is visited by Pluto. " _Ego non vis."_ The boy responded and the man grunted and assumed a more aggressive stance. The boy instantly went on the defense, and was doing admittedly well for one as young as him against an ex-Legionnaire. When the old soldier over-extended after growing frustrated with the young whelps taunting dodging and was punished with a lightly armored fist into his face. Honestly, how could a boy be so lithe and punch like a boar running at full speed? The man didn't spare another moment before recovering from the blow and lashing out at the lad who deftly dodged, but was quickly tripped by one of the Gladiators who recovered from his injuries. " _End eum!"_ the grounded man cried out, though his fingers and hands were being crushed he did not relinquish his grip on the boy's ankle and leg. Without another word, the oldest among them nodded solemnly and walked towards the struggling form of the boy. As the man plunged the bident into the boy's abdomen he whispered one thing as the boy spasmed, yet refused to yell in pain.

" _Pluto accipit vobis…"_

As the boy's life flashed before his eyes, his last thoughts fell on his mother. He let her down. He let his family honor down. No one would know though, only whatever God deemed him worthy of their attention, and his ancestors in the afterlife. As everything grew cold, and his vision was turning from blood red to a pitch black, he heard a girl speak in a faintly familiar language. Maybe he was stuck in some ungodly dream that he would never wake from, or his mind wasn't accepting his death and was extending his life…

He gave into his darkness as a warmth began to overtake his body, and jostled a little and gave a grunt of pain whenever he was dropped onto what he could assume was the land before the River Styx, and groaned when he realized that he couldn't afford the price of the Ferryman, Charon, and would wait in agony for near eternity to cross.

He was so lost in his thoughts and musings that he didn't hear the gasps of shock and horror before raucous laughter surrounded him as taunts were thrown towards a pink haired mage...

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(A/N) Yeah, alright. I will admit, I could make it longer, but It's 2 a.m. and I threw this together in about 40 minutes after brainstorming for an hour. And for those who's waiting for the next chapter of TFoC, I'm sorry to say that my focus will probably be on this, but the next chapter of that story is underway! And as for the Latin used... I will admit that I used Google translate *flinches* BUT I DO KNOW SOME LATIN! Just not enough to write a story with... If anyone wants me to put up the translations, just ask, since I know what I'm trying to make them mean (PLEASE don't use GT, you'll just get even more confused...) Well, until next time, thanks to whoever decided to check this out: Kerota, _out._


	2. Mysterious Young Man

Back in a record day, huh? I should really stop staying up this late... But what fun is life if you don't waste it away? Eh, wot? Insomnia you say? Bah! Leave that fancy talk elsewhere! Without any further distractions, I present the bigger (305 words longer than the last) chapter of DoAH!

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Louise was feeling sick. If last night was any indication on how she would feel at this moment, it was a very poor one. She had to force herself off of her bed, and stiffly dress in her uniform while her stomach was churning in fear and anticipation. Thoughts full of worry and fearful excitement ran through her mind as she walked outside of her room and with a small verbal altercation with her number one tormentor on campus, a certain red-headed vixen by the name of Kirche Augusta Frederica Von Anhalt Zerbst, Louise stormed off towards the Alviss Dining Hall after proclaiming that she would summon the best familiar anyone had ever laid eyes upon in an effort to fend off Kirche's attacks against her honor.

Louise didn't notice how most of her nervousness was gone after making a competition of the upcoming ritual.

After skimping over most of the food offered, Louise settled for an emextremely/em light breakfast. Her stomach just wouldn't allow the extravagant breakfast nobles partake nearly every morning. She couldn't risk any distractions later in the day. She _**needed**_ the ritual to be perfect. It just had to be…

The Familiar Summoning Ritual was sacred. It was the backbone of most of a young mage's hope for proper learning. As it stands, there are procedures to ensure the safety of all students and staff involved.

The process would take most of the noon hours on one specific day, and only during that time. Whatever creature a student summons would then be bound by a spell, and the creature would be bound, in spirit, to the contractor. A student can only take one familiar, with the exception of said summoned familiar dying in it's master's lifespan.

If, for whatever reason, a student fails to produce a creature after following the magical chant, then said student shall be released from the school's teachings, and sent back to their families. This, of course, was a rare occurrence, as the headmaster Old Osmond kept a worn book nearly full of the names of all the students that had attempted the ritual, and a clean one (that had been mistaken a number of times as brand new) of all those who had failed, with nary a drop of ink touching the book other than a few quill-strokes marking the title.

This record would not be broken for some time.

After some time, Jean Colbert, the teacher with the responsibility of monitoring the students, was unimpressed by the familiars summoned. The only interesting summons this year had been a single Fire Salamander by one Kirche von Zerbst, and a wind dragon by the enigmatic and silent Tabitha.

Much to Louise's horror, it was her turn up to the circle. Doing her best to ignore many, _many_ jeers and put-downs by her schoolmates, Louise began to chant. It was… an odd one, as Jean would put it. He would admit, that he had a soft spot for the short-tempered Vallière, but even he could become fed up with her mysterious condition of… explosions. The man had no idea what caused them, but it seemed that the more willpower she put into the spell and the more focus she had, the bigger the explosion.

And Founder Brimir above, she was _**pouring**_ willpower into the chant.

With a cry from the petite girl, and flinches from the crowd there was the anticipated… Nothing? Louise's heart began to race as the jeers started up. If she wasn't pooling most of her concentration to not passing out or break down at her apparent failure, the volatile girl would have definitely retorted with crude words unfit for a noble lady such as herself.

After some yelled words by their teacher, the crowd reluctantly quieted, but were reveling in the pink-haired girl's current state of assumed failure. Before Colbert could move to comfort his student, an influx of magic drew everyone's attention back to the circle. It seemed as if the magic had… vanished. Dissipated, perhaps, but this was not the case.

It takes time for forces of any kind to move between universes.

As if acting on an impulse, Colbert drew Louise behind himself, and not a moment too late either, as an explosion rocked the whole area. Most of the students were thrown about with the force of the explosion, while others barely stood it with the help of their familiars. Tabitha was seated on her dragon's back, who was a few inches off the ground.

It was a mystery to her peers as to why she was doing it before.

After the ground stopped shaking, and the students were calmed, the insults came harsher than before. Words of accusations were thrown towards the girl behind their teacher, claiming that she tried to kill them all to hide the shame she brought her family.

As soon as the jeers started, they were silenced quickly as a groan of pain came from the cloud of dust kicked up by the magical power. The students paled at the thought of one of their own being mutilated by the explosion. As the dust was cleared by a simple wave of a staff, the knots in the students' collective stomachs were unwinded as laughter and jeers began to fill the air.

"The Zero killed a commoner!" one said to another.

"I knew she was horrible with her Founder gifted power, but this is on another level!" Another cackled.

All the while, the assumed murderer was inching forward on the collapsed form a few meters away from her, Colbert following close like a shadow. "Professor… I-is it..?" Louise asked the older man. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the boy's bleeding midsection, then on the boy's chest, rising in a shallow, yet steady, pace.

"No, he isn't. Poor lad must be in shock from the blood loss." The teacher glared over at the snickering group of students and yelled to one girl out of the group. "Lady Montmorency!" he called. After receiving a curious look from the girl, he finished his order. "Go fetch a healer. Make haste young one!" As the girl looked surprised for a second, but followed the man's order and pushed her way out of the crowd.

After watching the girl's retreating form for a few seconds, he turned to the loud group of students and bellowed as loud as he could. "Everyone, return to your classes! **Unless you want to join this young man here."**

Colbert hated talking like that. He left that kind of speech back as 'The Flame Snake,' but when a situation like this calls for it, he has no patience for immature students.

Almost instantly, many of the students fled from the menacing teacher, while others lingered on, but eventually left. After the majority left, only two remained.

Kirche, her face looking amused. Though, if one saw her eyes, they would see hints of worry directed to the young Vallière. The other was Tabitha, who was simply reading her book.

Or so would it seem to those with an untrained eye. In reality, the quiet girl was studying the shallow breaths of the boy on the ground. After a few moments, the blue-haired kuudere snapped her book shut and began leading her friend and familiar away from the scene. The odd pair was passed by several commoners and nobles.

This would be the start of interesting days for the young mages.

Before the group of healers could arrive, Colbert had instructed Louise to finish the ritual, which she was reluctant at first, but quickly changed her mind as threats of expulsion passed the teacher's lips. As soon as her lips touched his, the boy began to clench his left hand in agony. A bright light engulfed the gauntlet, soon fading as runes could be seen underneath the armor.

Colbert made haste to copy the runes before the medical group would arrive.

What he would discover would soon shake the whole of Halkeginia.

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 **(A/N)** Well, that's it! I'm surprised I managed to get through the summoning without much dialogue, but hey, all In due time. I'm gonna quote some songs by a few bands in the A/N I think are pretty cool. Maybe send you guys some of my music *creepy half-wink* Alright... I admit that could've been less awkward for me, but I digress. Now all I have to figure out is what Godly weapon should take the place of the SoD... But another place and another chapter for that! Well, until next chapter: Kerota, _out._


	3. Eh? Not enemies?

Back in another day, huh? I'm on a roll (though these chapters are pitifully small, compared to the chapters in TFoC...) and yet more plot development with little to no dialogue. Dialogue will probably pick up next chapter for... reasons. No more stalling, **on with the show!**

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The first thing Umbrius noticed, was that the warmth he felt after his death was now becoming a bit uncomfortable.

The itching wasn't helping anything either.

All of a sudden, a light blinded him. This greatly confused him, as only enough light was present before the River as which would be needed for any mortals foolish enough to cross into Death's domain. Whatever caused the flash of light must've noticed his face scrunch, because a foreign language began to enter his ears.

The language flowed easily, like it was a river recently created by Neptune. It was… calming, to say the least. Or at least it was until _she_ came in.

Where the language used to be akin to a peaceful river, this newcomer made it sound as if it were a river flowing over many jagged rocks on it's way towards a steep drop. The first voice became flustered and fearful towards the second one, but was silenced by two words.

Before the first voice left however, it rambled on, with a definite nervousness in their tone. He didn't know how long he waited for the voice to stop, but it wasn't long before the second one shouted in anger.  
The shrill voice caused him great discomfort, which he voiced.

" _Ita magna!"_ he cried, which quickly silenced the voices. Much to the pink-haired noble's surprise (and the horror of the servant), the boy lifted himself before opening his eyes.

The first thing he noticed, was that he was stripped of his armor, after that, he noticed he wasn't _dead_. He was confused, and the sight of pink hair only served to further worsen his grasp on the situation.

Hair couldn't have that colour naturally, could it?

The shocked looks on their faces made it seem like he was the odd one out of the group. Then again, he _had_ just sat up after passing out from blood-loss from a wound that still looked rather nasty. Still, they didn't have to look at him like he had grown a second head.

He noticed that Pinky had begun speaking to the servant, and then towards him. Even if he couldn't understand a word she was saying, he didn't like her tone. It didn't help that he wasn't a fan of a certain Queen of the Gods, and that the girl in front of him seemed to exuberate the same kind of haughtiness the deity held.

He would probably assume she was an avatar of the Goddess, if she wasn't… lacking in certain areas.

Not that he would ever tell that to the girl. He was a gladiator, not suicidal.

As he was musing the possibilities of any relation between the girl in front of him and a deity, a balding male dressed in robes burst into the room. The girl then diverted her attention to the man, shaking the boy out of his thoughts, gaining his attention as well.

After the girl called out the man's name, Umbrius knew he wasn't in the Empire. The name was strange, foreign. It lacked the same qualities that Roman names shared.

The man began to move his eyes across the seated form of the summoned boy. After a few seconds of scrutiny, the man approached Umbrius, and held out a hand while saying words in a language he couldn't answer.

After a few moments of staring at the extended appendage, Umbrius decided to clutch the man's lightly calloused hand and go with the motion that began once contact was made. After releasing the younger male, Colbert began to speak in Tristanian, only to be met with a blank stare.

Curious, Colbert then ran through the languages of Halkeginia, only to be met with the same reaction. Until he got to Germanian, then the boy's face lit up with slight recognition, but then scrunched in thought.

Colbert had no idea that the boy was a trained warrior, and was confused when the man before him had said some harsh language reminiscent to the words of the Germanic Barbarians, and was able to pick one words out of everything. " **Enemy."**

In one motion, the boy had moved to tackle the older teacher, then began to strangle him, and probably done some damage if not for an explosion to knock him off of his assumed enemy.

Then the strangest thing happened.

He heard the girl call out to the man who sprung upwards while drawing a small stick. He could _understand_ the conversation that followed between the teacher and his student.

Oh Jupiter above, he would be in deep shit if he couldn't explain himself in the next few seconds, as a glare from the man followed by him moving the stick in his direction.

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 **(A/N)** Yes, yes. I'm like a plinko machine. You'll never know what you'll get, but it's guaranteed to agitate you. So, I've been cranking these out at a pretty steady pace, even if the result is smaller chapters. I can't have this luxury anymore, cause I don't have the excuse of a language barrier to stop conversations from happening. Well, 'til next time: Kerota, _out._


	4. A brand new what? Copyright?

Been about a week. Yeah, yeah I know. After I uploaded the last chapter, a friend came over, Project M updated... then Terraria... then Team Fortress 2... Excuses, excuses, I know, but can you blame me? Also, I might be becoming an insomniac... but it's not my fault my mind won't stop thinking about someone... But who want's to hear the boring-ass story of a 17 year old high school senior? (TL;DR) Excuses, being detrimental to my health, who cares. Onto the story.

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Immediately, Umbrius rolled to the side narrowly avoiding being trapped by… the floor? Had he not been under attack, the boy would have double checked to make sure that what he had seen wasn't a trick of the light, or a delusion from his injury.

As he settled into a passive stance, Umbrius noticed how he shrunk an inch or two, and found himself incapable of movement. He was shocked when he looked down and saw his feet encased inside the floor. The young man looked back up when he felt a sharp point being pressed onto his skin. The older man was angry at him, which was reasonable as he was just strangling him not 2 minutes ago.

Eyes locked, and to the surprise of both men, they saw a fire in each other. To Umbrius, the man's eyes didn't match the way he held himself, it was equal to a mouse having the gaze of a lion. To Colbert, the younger male held eyes of one who was ripped from a family with nary a warning and suffered a betrayal most heinous. Someone so young should never have these eyes.

Almost as though an unsaid order was given, both men relaxed, though Umbrius was held in place.

"I do believe I am owed an explanation for your actions, young man." The professor began speaking in a tone expected of one in his position. "You can start with your name."

Colbert had begun to carefully watch the other's facial expression as confusion was replaced with understanding. He tensed whenever the boy attempted to shuffle in place, but relaxed again as he noticed how he had caught the boy in an uncomfortable position.

He would have to get an earth mage to remove the melted floor from around the boy's feet after this was all said and done.

The boy seemed to hesitate with giving his name, but eventually conceded with the request. "You may call me Umbrius. Many others before you have, as will many more after you." The boy spoke in odd sentences, like he was speaking to a noble from a foreign…

Oh dear Brimir above please don't let this young man be of any relation to a noble family.

The boy adopted a serious look on his face, as he continued to speak. "And as for my actions… Well, you must understand that I'm not from around here, and…" The boy seemed to search for words, "One of the words you spoke to me was in the tongue that belonged to a wild group of savages that lived near my home. I had misinterpreted your intentions as the word translated into 'Enemy.' I apologize deeply, but I was ready to be safe, rather than sorry."

Colbert nodded and began to explain that he had been summoned (much to his annoyance) by the girl he had introduced as Louise, to be her familiar and _servant_. He was saved by her, yes, but that doesn't mean he would willingly go along with whatever the little Juno would say...

Did he really compare the Queen of the Gods to this girl who barely looked half his age (judging by her lack of "height." Wording it like that around her would likely guarantee he not die with whatever ungodly force she hit him with earlier.)

His parents did hammer the importance of honor and repaying debts into the boy since he first began crawling, and those values are what is keeping Umbrius bound to the young lady. After receiving a quick rundown of expected behavior for familiars, and a brief history of where he was exactly, Umbrius began giving a short description of his life, leaving most details out.

For whatever reason, the older man in front of him relaxed as he spoke the words "I come from a common family with only me and my mother."

His master, on the other hand... To say she was horrified was barely scratching the surface. He had heard tales of men who had fallen into the River Styx, and of the few who survived, they had described the most vile, disgusting feeling they've ever had the displeasure of experiencing. Feeling death penetrate your being is probably one of the most _wrong_ feelings to ever exist.

The look on his master's face, however, suggested that she was experiencing something far worse.

After Umbrius was freed from his melted prison, he followed the pink haired girl while mapping out the area. No self-respecting Roman would allow themselves to get lost.

While the gladiator was taking in the sights around him, a new mystery was forming no more than 3 feet away from him: For whatever reason, be it ghost or Elven magic used to frighten the students, an eerie voice echoed throughout the halls of the Academy. "A commoner," it would go, "why did it have to be a simple commoner..."

This mystery would go unsolved for the rest of time.

Once the pair reached Louise's room, no words were said as the young mage tried to process what had just happened. She hadn't failed the ritual, yes, but instead of a majestic beast (or **any** sort of animal) to answer her call, it was a person!

It wasn't as bad, since the man seemed to have been a foreign noble (if she could summon something that could perform magic, then she could too!) But instead, it was a simple commoner who had never even heard of Halkeginia, or seemed to have received any formal education at all!

If her mother found out... The young mage was shivering at an incredible rate, and much to the surprise of the male in the room, began to strip. Umbrius turned his head and refused to look back until the feeling of cloth hitting him bright his attention to his master climbing into the only bed of the room.

"You, dog." Came the petite girl's voice. "Umbrius." He corrected, though if Louise heard him, she chose to ignore him. "I expect those washed and returned."

He was about to argue how he was no slave, when she turned onto her side, back facing him. "Wake me at dawn." Umbrius' right eye twitched from the sheer arrogance in the girl's tone, but complied nonetheless. It would be impossible to change someone like that in a day, without getting physical of course, but his sweet mother would have none of that.

With the mental image of his mother beating the living shit out of him, Umbrius grumbled obscenities while carrying the discarded clothes out of the room.

...Where would he go to wash these?

After wandering around the massive grounds of the Academy for about half an hour, Umbrius had given up his search for an area which he could wash clothes, and instead shifted his focus on finding any servants who could assist him. As he began his search, Umbrius had a close call with a blonde lad, who had the bravado to taunt the gladiator.

Umbrius tried. He honestly tried to ignore the asshat, but whenever he turned a corner, a wall would appear and block his way, and whenever he turned back, the stone would return to it's place in the ground. The younger (foolish) boy was making a show to a girl in a brown cloak, throwing in words that were meant to hurt. The taunts quickly stopped whenever Umbrius closed the distance between himself and the pair faster than most could achieve. The blonde would have preferred to slump onto the wall, to ease his shaking legs but couldn't afford to lose face to his current catch, Katie.

With a smirk on his face, Umbrius recounted the event until he felt a small bump that shook him back to reality. Looking down, Umbrius was struck with the woman he saw. Her features were exotic, nothing he had seen in the Empire, but they weren't quite the same as the other females he had seen around campus. No… without a doubt, the downed figure had to be a daughter from the Far East. Those from the Far East were an enigmatic group, since there had been no attempts to establish an understanding with them, most of the sons or daughters from those lands were kept as trophies or slaves.

As he reached down to take her hand, he couldn't help but mumble to himself about her potential lineage. He would ask one day, but that day, he surmised, wouldn't be for a while.

"My deepest apologies, miss." he began, which seemed to fluster the young woman. "A-ah, there's no reason to apologize, kind noble. I'm just a simple servant, it should be me apologizing!" The girl was visibly nervous, possibly from his assumed title.

After a few minutes of clearing up the misunderstanding, the maid, whom he learned was a commoner from a town called Tarbes, was named Siesta. As an apology for the confusion, Siesta offered to help Umbrius with his assigned task. With the two of them, the task took nary a few minutes. After Siesta hung the clothes over an open fire (to "help them dry" as she put it) for the night, Siesta explained more how the societies classes worked.

If he was being honest, the whole "nobles" and "commoners" thing was much simpler than his own home's system.

That didn't, however, change the fact that he found it to be complete bullshit.

Umbrius left the young maid with a wish of good health, and returned to his master's room to rest. Today had been an eventful day… Death, resurrection, the contract, and now (since he had time to gaze upon the twin moons) the information of being a new world. Some would argue that a simple haystack would be unfit for a human… but right now, that uncomfortable bundle was looking damn comfortable...

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Nothing much to say, except that if you have any spare time, the next time you're on YouTube, could you look up a channel called 'NewfZ'? They're pretty funny, and give an idea about what kind of humor I find funny. They don't have any set upload schedule, like Markiplier, or Pewdiepie, but the videos (to me) or good enough to watch over and over again. These guys are so good, that it's a shame that they have such little subs and publicity... If it helps, one of them is Canadian (bonus points for anyone who can tell me which one it is!) Anyways, until the next chapter: Kerota, _out._

 _"And it's the stars, the stars, that shine for you, yeah_

 _and it's the stars, the stars, that lie to you, yeah."_ **Stone Sour, Through Glass.**


	5. Story fueled plot Wait, what?

(A/N) Hey everyone... I'm back? It's been about... Uhhhhhhhh 6 months? Yeah. Senior year. Heart-break. Depression. Y'know, the usual. This chapter probably wouldn't have even come out if a certain SOMEONE WASN'T HOLDING A GUN TO MY HEAD ;A; ...please send help.

* * *

Morning came too soon, much to the distaste of our hero and he rolled on his side to block out the glaring light provided by a Tristanian dawn. The smell of hay filled his nose before he shot up, the events of yesterday coming back to him. He had lost the fight… He was dead, he was _sure_ of it. But then… At this, he got up and looked over to the lump under the covers on a (rather comfortable looking) bed. The lump was, in fact, his master. And he had to wake her soon. Well, better keep his head down for now…

Approaching her bed, he "gently" shook the bed. Something doesn't feel quite right… Looking down, he saw just how _gentle_ he had been. Apparently, the bedding in this world is less… **sturdy** than he was used to, as his master ended up in a completely different position than when he started the process.

"What in the name of the Founder were you trying to do?!" she asked/screeched. Shrugging, Umbrius replied, "Following orders." In her recently awoken state, Louise could've _sworn_ she heard him snicker after his **sarcastic** remark, this was, however, just her imagination.

He'd be punished nonetheless.

After rejecting the order to dress her (seeing as she was capable of doing so herself), Umbrius is now sitting on the floor as delectable scents fill the air. Not even a Roman can resist such odors, but unfortunately for him he wasn't allowed any. He'd get some later, of course, seeing as no one can eat ALL of the food. He wasn't below eating scraps when the food he would've been given was moldy and stale bread with some sort of liquid with it.

He's glad his master can only think of such base and immature punishments.

While Umbrius was busy scanning the room , Louise was _fuming_. Not only was she stuck with a _commoner_ as her "divine and beautiful familiar," but he seemed more brutish than the normal passing commoner she would see around the towns. The state in which she summoned him in didn't help her image of him very much. A young man in barbarian clothing with a fatal wound in his stomach did NOT make for a good first impression. He might as very well have been a rouge facing justice and she…

Louise was snapped out of her musings by a sultry voice calling her name (accompanied with two _massive_ objects bouncing into view.)

There was only one person in the Academy that held such… ASSets *cough cough* ANYWAYS.

Umbrius had no idea what was going on. His attention was caught when he heard his master's yelling (and… growling?) but then it quickly shifted away. He didn't want to know who or WHAT had come into contact with his master, so he decided that the best course of action was… to run away.

Quicker than Mercury, Umbrius fled the scene as the shouting match started. He felt a chill run down his spine as he felt someone's gaze, but he didn't want to waste time looking for the source. If anyone wanted to observe him, then let them do so. Seeking shelter from the dining hall, Umbrius decided to run and enter the first door he could reach (which, I must say, is a WONDERFUL strategy) and as such, was met with a tray to the chest.

Great. Wondrous. AMAZING.

Thankfully, there was nothing on said platter, but the force knocked the poor carrier down. "My apologies." Two words as he helped the servant up. "You're!" Ah, it was the maid that helped him last night. "Yes?" It didn't seem like she was expecting that kind of response. Maybe his presence was too much? Maybe he should regress a bit…

(Unknown to our hero, his voice was deeper and extremely exotic compared to most people in Halkeginia … CRITICAL HIT!)

Siesta was a capable woman. She works hard, works thorough, and stays determined… until her mind starts racing with thoughts fueled by her readings of erotic novels involving a commoner woman being swept off her feet by a handsome foreigner or noble. This is what happened when she saw Umbrius in full light, and after hearing his voice? Game. Over. Siesta was close to a complete and total meltdown, much to the concern of her fast friend.

After several minutes of trying to snap her out of the trance she dropped into, Umbrius decided it would be bad if a noble came across her in a daze instead of working, and slightly push her along into the room she came out of.

After finding the poor girl a seat, Umbrius approached the man that seemed to be in charge, a fairly fit man in a chef's attire. At first, the man seemed suspicious and wary (the fact that Siesta was out of commision did NOT help in the least.) After the young man before him spoke, Marteau understood perfectly. He saw an opportunity, however, to get some free labour from the lad. For him to fully apologize, he would have to earn it, but after some words from Umbrius he decided to give him some of the food the nobles waste.

It was only fair, considering the poor lad is bound to one of the power hungry brats.

So began the (rather short) life of "Umbrius, the Server of Cakes and Tea." It wasn't hard, just listen out for orders and pay attention to the amount of food a noble has had and how much is left on their plates. Easy. Until Umbrius came across a familiar flamboyant blonde, though… his companion was different. Gone was the younger, more excited chestnut haired girl. In her place was another blonde with… Umbrius couldn't find the words to describe the new girl's hairstyle except that he had never seen it before. Ugh… he misses his nice, normal life. Umbrius just stood there, waiting for an order or demand. He was brought out of his statue-esque state with a _bump_ against his shoe. In the time it took for him to reach down while keeping his tray level (a task most difficult) then stand back up with a strange bottle, the new female had left the group, why, he couldn't tell.

After serving food when called upon, Umbrius then noticed that the last few waves cleaned him out. On his way back to the kitchen, however… "E-excuse me?" Hmm? It seems like the old girl has shown herself. "Yes? May I be of assistance?" Umbrius bowed his head, so he missed the blush and shudder in the girl before him. "Y-yes… I'm looking for Lord Guiche. Ha-have you seen him?" Nodding, Umbrius decided to bring her to the boy in question, picking up on the not-so-hidden clues of what game the blonde was playing at.

Seeing as the other girl has yet to return, Umbrius decided that now would be the optimal time to confront the youth about the younger girl behind him and the bottle he found near-by.

...Well shit, that could have gone better. As soon as his follower spotted "Lord Guiche," she left his side to join him. Gods it felt great to see an arrogant person so flustered. He was about to approach with the bottle but… "Guiche!" The blonde had returned. Umbrius had to give the boy some credit. He was keeping his calm while trying to calm one of the most volatile creatures known to man. Angry and _hurt_ women. It ended with a dual-synchronized slap between Katie (the younger chestnut) and Montmorency (the older blonde) that left lasting impressions on the cheater's two women left, one obviously crying, the other keeping it in.

Umbrius turned to leave when…

"You there… commoner." He turned to face the voice. "I think you need a lesson on what happens to those who make women cry."

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(E/N) So yeah, usual spiel. Read on, read strong and bb, put the gun down ;^; Until next chapter. Kerota, _out._


	6. OH BOY A FIGHT SCENE

(A/N) Guess who~ Yep. It's me. The guy who can't keep a good schedule, keep promises (though I try) and has recently hurt himself by not keeping those promises! Isn't life grand? Anyways, this took, what, 2 months to write and get out? *MELEE ANNOUNCER* IT'S A NEW~ RECORD!

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Ch. 6

The courtyard was packed full with students, so even if Umbrius had no clue where the "duel" was supposed to take place, he could've found it just by following the noise generated by the crowd.

Seems as if the nobles here were eager to see a "lamb" be slaughtered.

Fortunately, Umbrius has a family history of entertaining masses.

As he approached, many of the nobles began to whisper amongst themselves, some commending the young man for not running away, others condemning him to a complete and bitter defeat. Umbrius paid them no attention as he waded through the opening that the crowd gave him as he got close to the courtyard. Most nobles, whether they be whispering to each other, looking back and forth between the noble and commoner, or simple laughing and joking as if there was no big ordeal happening.

In the crowd, a blue haired mage was being pushed into a better viewing point by her voluptuous friend. In all honesty, some part of Tabitha was… excited? Was that the way she felt about the duel? Ever since she saw the commoner appear, with his strange clothes and serious wound… Well, she had been interested to say the least.

Even with her deadened emotions, she was still a human, and humans are knowledge seekers.

Had it just been a simple duel involving anybody else, then she would've simple returned to her room until Kirche forced her to enter the area. The red-haired student had to try of course, she didn't want to seem to be opening up.

Her attention was drawn from her book as she noticed the shuffling of bodies as a figure cut through the crowd. Glancing to her side, she quickly regretted doing so. Kirche had begun to adopt a lust-filled gaze as Umbrius approached.

If she were a normal girl, she too might have come under trance, seeing as the commoner held such… exotic features (not to mention that, even though he seems to be around the same age as most of the second years, he had a fairly muscular body.) and used speech that dignified one of noble birth.

Tabitha snapped her book shut as Umbrius took his position on the opposite side of the circle from Guiche, who was too busy in soaking in the attention from the crowd to notice his "opponent" had arrived. Umbrius, however, stood almost completely still. Calmly waiting for the blonde nobleman to notice his presence.

"Oh, so the dog chose to appear before a master?" Guiche finally took note of his surroundings. "Tell me, mutt. Have you come with your tail between your legs to beg for this master's graceful forgiveness?" Umbrius, in response, adjusted his stance.

Guiche, instead of treating him as an opponent, continued his condescending speech. "If you… Oh, i don't know… Grovel before your betters and woof like your kin is wont to do, and I'll forgive your insolence."

After it seemed like the blonde had stopped talking out of his ass, Umbrius relaxed and stepped forward. Kirche was disappointed, the man she thought held a great deal of fire in his soul was giving up, which was indeed a great letdown for her… Until Umbrius stood several feet away from and calmly raised his fist… with his middle finger soon following.

"How about we cut the words, and show these people what they came for?"

As Umbrius ran forward, Guiche nonchalantly waved a rose-like wand (where he drew it from, nobody but a gay magician could tell you) and the first bit of action had begun.

Umbrius quickly jumped backwards as the ground beneath him shifted upwards, then rolled to the side as a bronze sword struck the air where he once was. Standing upright, Umbrius was tense as he expected another attack, but Guiche was glaring at the man as if he had broken a sacred rule.

"Hmph. So you refuse my offer of forgiveness **AND** brutishly offend the women in the audience while attempting to face me head on!" Guiche was starting to get on Umbrius' nerves by keeping up his ' _Holier than thou/I shall never be in fault for any actions taken'_ attitude.

"It seems that I overestimated your intelligence. As an earth mage, my Valkyries shall fight in my stead. Remember my name well, dog, for Guiche the Bronze shall put you in your place!"

After it's masters words were finished, the aforementioned Valkyrie lurched forward, but sadly, it's movements were too slow and clunky to be a challenge for the gladiator. If this hunk of (rather ornate) metal was the best that the blonde could do, then Umbrius was going to have an easy ti-

A swift flash of light flashed passed his face as a searing pain ran across his cheek, followed by the roar of the crowd.

'Huh, so much for honor and chivalry…' Guiche was just toying with him before, simply ordering his golem to swing its sword in a sluggish fashion to get the first blood.

"Do you see commoner? There's no way you can defeat my Valkyrie, so you may as well just give up!" Guiche still wasn't through boasting it seems… "I'd rather die on my feet." Most of the crowd had been shocked, seeing as no peasant could muster the courage to speak against nobility over the simplest of matters, then this one standing before them had brazenly stated his defeat condition. Though, most of the nobility soon laughed his statement off as a fool running his mouth to fill himself with some false bravado.

Guiche, however, adopted a dark look on his face. To him, this "familiar" could upset the balance that nobility had established and maintained for centuries. If defiant blood had to be spilt to fulfill his bloodlines duty, to keep peace, then so be it. The son of a general would only be given harsh words for such actions, anyways.

"So… this is what you have chosen? Then allow my bronze sword to strike you down!" With a yell, Guiche thrust his wand forward, commanding his willpower within the valkyrie to obey his command.

"RUN HIM THROUGH!"

As he yelled his command, the weak-willed in the audience looked away, while others looked on. Many gasps were heard as the sword passed through the commoner, who stood in place as his death approached.

The ***crunch*** that followed, greatly confused everyone present.

When they looked back, they were surprised to see that the arm of the valkyrie was bent out of shape… with the lower portion of it cleaved from the top with it's own sword.

Even more of a surprise was the relatively unharmed Umbrius, one hand holding the sword while the other held the crushed arm of the golem.

"Well? Was that all the boasting could do for you, other than make you look foolish? I've fought men tougher than this back in training!" Guiche could hardly believe the sight before his eyes: A commoner disarmed and destroyed his creation…

Wanting to save face, Guiche retaliated. "S-so what if you defeated one golem? I still have enough willpower to summon dozens more…" Waving his wand once again, petals fell to the ground which constructed 5 more valkyries.

'Three swords, two spears. Nothing fancy… Maybe he's getting serious?' Umbrius noted that this new group of valkyries were lacking the luster that the original held. 'Maybe controlling this many at once lowers the quality?'

As he was asking such questions, Umbrius was deflecting the attacks thrust towards him with ease. After noticing that direct attacks were risking his Valkyrie's integrity, Guiche ordered the two spear-wielders to throw their weapons as he constructed replacements. To his horror, Umbrius simply deflected the first, then caught the second.

'I've never been a big user of spears… but this feels lighter than others I've held…' The runes on his left hand began to glow as he twirled the weapon.

As soon as he stopped spinning it, Umbrius set the point of the spear onto the ground before rushing ahead at a surprising speed. Soon, the golems fell, one by one until Guiche had to resort to summoning even more of them. However… as the summons continued, the quality of the constructs along with their weapons and tactics began to lessen significantly. Eventually, Umbrius reached the mage himself, leading to Guiche falling on his rump while pleading for his life as the sharp point of the spear was pressed against his neck. He began to plead even more as tip began to break skin.

"Pitiful… Is this truly what the nobility of this land is like? So eager to stick their necks high and puff their chests but when the favor is unbalanced, when _their_ lives are threatened, they stick their tails between their legs and cry as if they were newly born!" Umbrius released the pressure on the blonde's throat. "Though you are trash, you are highly regarded trash. Your death would not go unnoticed, and my ancestors have suffered enough because of power-hungry fools that are of your kind." Umbrius turned his back to the fallen mage, dropping the weapons to the ground. "Come challenge me again when you have greater skill, have learned humility… and have changed your pants."

Then he left, unopposed as no noble dared stand in his way… until…

"FAMILIAR! JUST WHAT HAVE YOU **DONE?!** "

...duty called.

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(A/N) Nothing really to say about this one, except the potential offense one line may have cause (so, sorry about that). Until the next time. Kerota, _out_.


	7. Some backstory or something I dunno

The past few hours were… trying, to say the least. Umbrius, as stoic and collected as he is, could only hold out for so long. After his speech, he was literally dragged away by his pink-haired tormentor towards her room.

And she was silent the whole time. Gods, how he wished she would've stayed that way.

He struggled at first, but soon complied when he felt her wand press against his cheek. He was no fool and had no idea what magic she was capable of…

And the fact that he just defeated a noble earlier didn't help him muster any sort of rebellious ideas. Whether he liked it or not, Umbrius needed the shorter child in front of him until he could escape the Academy.

Umbrius noticed how quickly they had returned to Louise's room, and wondered just how one could possibly memorize such a large and complex location. He would have to devote an entire day to mapping out important locations.

But first, he'd have to deal with whatever "punishment" his master held for him.

After slamming the door shut, Umbrius quickly gathered himself under the anger-filled gaze of the pinkette. It surprised him that someone so young could muster such a look, other than himself, of course.

"Kneel." Her voice sounded cold, empty almost. He complied, and took to his knees while she rummaged through her desk drawers. Her mumblings were somewhat concerning and added to her already ice-cold aura. And then she drew what appeared to be some sort of whip out from the wooden drawer.

This, would be painful.

"Remove your shirt." Another order, one he was slower to comply with. "What in the name of the Founder were you thinking?!" It seems like she wanted to start with the verbal assault. "You should have just withdrawn and begged for forgiveness, and maybe you would have been let off easy." The first few buttons of his overshirt were now undone. "As my familiar, your actions reflect upon me. You're supposed to obey my command and stay out of trouble." Louise began to tug the thin end of her stout whip almost rhythmically. "Just how do you think everyone else will take your words and actions today? Not only did you brazenly ignore the words of a nobleman, you even threatened his life!" The overshirt was now flung away from his body.

"It falls upon me, your master, to teach you the proper order of things. You may have the rest of the students terrified, but not me." She quickly brought the whip downwards. "I can't let this go unpunished. No matter how strong you are, your runes prove you belong to me. As long as those remain, it shall serve as a reminder of who you must listen to." The whip went up again, keeper resting in her open palm.

"Now, take off your undershirt."

Umbrius wanted to tear the weapon out of the girl's hands then and there, but as soon as the thoughts came, a comforting warmth originated from his left hand. 'I shouldn't do anything rash.' He thought to himself. 'She's the only one that I can hope deflect the results of my actions…'

As soon as the last piece of cloth fell from his body, Louise immediately noticed two things. The first is that her familiar was quite fit, if the taught muscles were any indication. The other being that he was covered with scars. They weren't numerous or deep enough to cause any sort of alarm, or make his body unattractive (not that she would ever think of that, seeing as he's just some lowborn dog). She could guess where he got them from.

Such thoughts were pushed from her body as she steeled her will and brought her crop up above her head. Afterwhich, she brought down with no hesitation.

With each crack, his body remained unmoving. With each snap, she grew more tired. Yet despite her weakening stamina, Louise was growing more and more agitated. She was only going to hit him until he begged her forgiveness. Instead, she was going to be the one that gave in first.

If only he would have at least flinched from her blows. That would have provided some relief for her growing frustration.

Soon enough, Louise began panting harder and harder before her arm finally fell to her side. Even though the attacks had ceased, Umbrius sat there as if her were a statue. If not for the blood ever slowly trickling down his back, one might have mistaken him for one. Once she caught her breath, Louise began to growl softly, before roaring out at him. "Why did you just sit there?!" Umbrius slightly twisted his head before answering. "Because you told me to." Louise's left eye twitched slightly. "That's not what I meant." She wiped the slight sweat off of her face before placing the crop on the desk. "Had you asked me to stop, I would have. But only if you had thought on your actions." She was surprised to see Umbrius shaking his head, chuckling.

"You want me to feel sorry for a boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth?" Umbrius stood up after his own words. "Strike me all you wish with that whip. It won't change my beliefs." He slowly began walking towards her. "You can't honestly expect me to just roll over like some newborn pup, just because you were born with something I wasn't." He was now within close distance of her. "Unlike you lot, I've actually suffered to get where I am. I wasn't given any sort of relief as I was growing up, and I sure as Hades won't just go along with everything you say." Just when she thought she was rid of her anger, it all came rushing back.

She struck out with her crop, catching him on the side of his face. How dare he speak to her like he knew her story. He knew nothing of her suffering. Of her torment.

It was only somewhat satisfying to see the surprise on his face, before the cut he received from his fight earlier began to bleed as it was reopened. She wasted no time in giving her own words. "You know NOTHING of my life. You have no idea what it feels like, to have everyone look at you like you're useless... " She forced her emotions back into her. "Some of us, even though we were born with "silver spoons" in our mouths, were put through more hell than you could EVER know!"

As she cried out her last words, she struck out at him again, only to have the crop stop abruptly. When she met his eyes, she froze. She was used to her mother's "Rule of Steel" which led her to be subject to the emotionless judgement that her mother handed out. The rage in her familiar's eyes made her mother's look like a warm fireplace.

In an almost inhuman speed, Umbrius pulled the whip towards himself, and caught his "master" by the throat. He wasn't choking her, but held a firm grip on her slender neck. His whole world went cold, and not even the warmth he felt from his left hand could keep him from the desire to snap the child's neck. This is what he hated about those that were high-born, they took anything negative as a form of hardship.

"You do not have the RIGHT to tell me how it feels to go through hardships. Not when you're at this school. Not when you're a part of some rich family. Not when you HAVE A GODS-DAMN FAMILY!" He roughly dropped her, and Louise began to cough violently, trying to catch her breath for the second time that night. "How do you think I got these scars?" The question came abruptly after she regained control of her lungs.

It was shocking to see him go from ice-cold anger to icy stoicism in such a short span of time. Louise could only meekly offer her response, "I… I have no idea. My best guess would be a war?" After a deep sigh, Umbrius decided to answer her. "You could say that… However, some of these scars came from training." That took her by surprise. She had seen soldiers before, and they rarely held scars from just training. "Training? For the war?" He shook his head. "Not for my "war", but for my "games."" That… made no sense to her.

"Tell me master…" She was somewhat pleased to hear him call her that. "Have you ever heard of gladiators?"

As Umbrius went to explain what gladiators were, and what they were trained to do, a cloaked figure atop a dragon listened from a distance. At first, Tabitha wasn't going to go anywhere tonight, but that changed when Kirche had attempted to burst into her room while she was reading. She quickly jumped out of her window and called Syphid, her wind dragon, and took off for a late-night flight. A small twinge of joy coursed through her as she heard Kirche groan when she realised her friend had escaped her.

Her original plan of reading was cut short, as the twin moons were covered by clouds. She didn't want to risk exposing her "hiding" spot (just sitting on a random roof) in case Kirche was searching for her. Her thoughts trailed back to the "duel" from earlier. From how excited Kirche was, she could guess that she was correct in her assumption that the strange man had won against Guiche. She was slightly disappointed that she hadn't stayed behind to study his fighting style, but she was more focused on reading her next book than assessing some familiar's fighting ability.

But it seemed like she would learn something about the man after-all, for the roof she landed on was near Louise's room, as an unnecessarily loud slam brought her attention to the window. She rose slowly and mounted Sylphid, before quietly ordering her to fly upwards at a slow and stealthy pace. Tabitha was somewhat thankful of the clouds that had so rudely interrupted her nightly hobby, seeing as how Sylphid would be harder to spot. When the dragon was keeping a level height, Tabitha began her incantations, and with a wave of her staff, she could clearly hear and see the situation unfold inside the room.

The scars were surprising, as was his obedience and unflinching body. Considering how a riding crop was mainly used against horses, there was no way he couldn't feel the blows. Yet, the most surprising thing was what happened afterwards. She had already known about the "Rule of Steel" that Louise's mother regarded so highly. She also knew about the pinkettes other issues regarding bullying and her inability to succeed in casting magic. No… What caught her off-guard was the hostility the man held for the smaller girl. Had things escalated further, Tabitha might have even been forced to intervene, but thankfully, it never came to that.

Tabitha was a seeker of knowledge. The fact that she cared more about books than friendships and gossip showed that. So without question, once the man had fully introduced himself as "Umbrius Afer Volumnius" she began to write down the information in a spare journal. She was curious about Umbrius' story about the gladiators from his home. She hadn't bothered writing down the fact that he was from another world, seeing as his defiance was strong enough evidence of that. Besides, no other area in Halkeginia had features that Umbrius did (though he did look as if he were born from Romalia, with some slight differences). She would have to approach him one day and listen to some other stories he held. From what she heard, he had signed himself away as a gladiator to provide for his sickly mother in his empire's "Greatest City" as he put it.

He was very convincing to his master, stopping to answer any question she had. He made it sound like he was a simple man, born into a poor family. However, if there's one person who knew about masks and lies, it was Tabitha. He was hiding something, his rage-filled outburst earlier was proof of that. His words were still fresh in her mind, and just the slightest prodding produced a large question.

"Where was your family?" It was so quiet that Tabitha wasn't even sure she had said it herself. A young man shouldn't have had to put his life on the line every day if he had any siblings or, more importantly, his father. Tabitha took her leave shortly after Umbrius began to explain his gods to Louise.

As she stepped back inside her room, she pet Sylphid on her head and shooed her away. After changing her clothes, Tabitha laid down onto her bed. Before sleep came to her, she sorted out all the information she had gathered, but one question glared her in the face.

'Why even care about him?' She settled into the silent darkness for a moment. Tabitha gave the most logical answer she could find.

'Because he reminds me of myself.'

The bluenette then drifted off to another restless sleep.

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(A/N) So thanks to an unknown personal I've been motivated to put this chapter out. Meh, it's 3 A.M and I'll probably be writing more tomorrow. I realized that I never really explained what Umbrius' clothes were. Whoops. Oh well, you're all smart people. I've decided to stop doing an Author's Note at the beginning as well, seeing as it's such a not fun thing to skip through if you're using a FF mobile app. Well, until next chapter. See ya. ~Kerota


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